Falling Sakura
by KuroExorcist
Summary: After the war, Ichigo returns to Soul Society to receive his role as the taicho of the 5th squad. As he crosses from the real world, Karin follows him and enters Soul Society as well. After falling into Kuchiki Byakuya's house, she develops an interest in Rukia's cold older brother. Is her interest in him pure curiosity? Or is it something more? ByakuyaXKarin pairing
1. From the sky

Falling Sakura

Chapter 1: From the sky

Kurosaki Karin crossed her arms and glared at her idiotic older brother who seemed to be in a world of his own. He was rummaging around his room packing his things into a bag, muttering about not wanting to be late for some 'taicho coronation' ceremony. In fact he was so engrossed he did not realize that his younger sister had been listening to his every word for at least 10 minutes. Finally, Karin decided to wake him out of his trance,"Ichi-nii, what are you packing for? What's this 'taicho coronation' ceremony?"

Ichigo finally lifted his head. "K..Karin, what are you doing here?" He quickly hid his bag behind his back. "Shouldn't you be playing football with your friends?" "Ichi-nii, it's already night time and stop trying to change the topic. I heard everything. What's this shinigami taicho coronation ceremony?" Ichigo chuckled awkwardly "It's nothing Karin. Go get some sleep. It's late." "Demo—…" Karin was about to protest but the look from her brother said everything. She wasn't getting any answers from him. But she knew he was going somewhere due to his duties as a shinigami.

She remembered the time when those monsters-hollows or arrancar as Ichigo had called them tried to destroy Karakura Town. She had seen Ichigo battle them while a replacement acted as her brother at home. She had not made a sound when she knew that as she did not want to scare Yuzu. However, she felt helpless as she watched Ichigo and could only stay with Yuzu and her father, making sure they were fine while Ichigo struggled to protect them. Too many times had Ichigo carried the burden of protecting the family on his own and risked his own life. This time, she had enough and wanted to help Ichigo though she knew he would not agree. Thus, she decided to follow him when he left.

Around midnight, while Yuzu and her father slept peacefully away, Karin lay wide awake waiting for Ichigo to make his move. She played close attention to the sounds coming from Ichigo's room, getting ready to move if she heard the window being opened. Finally, around one in the morning, Ichigo made his move. Karin immediately got out of bed and looked out the window, seeing Ichigo running towards the street in his shinigami uniform with a huge sword that looked like a kitchen knife strapped to his back. She picked up her rucksack with the things she needed and jumped out the window.

Karin stayed a distance behind Ichigo and followed him. After running for a while, he arrived at a rundown looking shop called the Urahara store. She followed him into the shop and hid behind a shelf, observing Ichigo. "Ahhh, Kurosaki-kun. Here you are. You were almost late you know?" A creepy looking man who was holding a fan and wore a striped hat chuckled at Ichigo. "Yea, yea. But I'm here now right. Open the gate for me. I'm going to Soul Society now." "Hai, hai!" A doorway appeared and Ichigo stepped in.

As soon as Ichigo disappeared, Karin jumped out from behind the shelf and followed him through the gate, surprising the creepy man. "Gomen, I'm going after Ichi-nii!" she told the man as she entered the gate as well. She ran through a weird tunnel which had some disgusting gloopy stuff chasing after her and saw Ichigo disappear through a glowing doorway. Using a final burst of energy, Karin ran through the doorway. Suddenly she realized that the doorway led to a huge city and that she was freefalling from the sky. "Ichi-niiiiiiiiii!" she screamed as she fell towards the city below.

Meanwhile, Ichigo had shunpo-ed to Seireitei. He sneezed and wondered if he had caught a cold. As he entered the building, all the other taichos turned to look at him. Yamamoto soutaicho started the taicho's meeting by announcing that Ichigo would take the responsibilities as the 5th squard taicho as of immediately. The taichos started whispering among themselves and he saw some of them shake their head. However, Yamamoto soutaicho silenced them and spoke to Ichigo, "Ichigo Kurosaki, I know that you have the capability to oversee the 5th squad and take over traitor Aizen Sousuke's squad and make it even better. Do you agree to be taicho, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo tensed slightly, a frown appearing on his Yamamoto soutaicho had given him a week to consider, he wondered if he made the right choice. He thought for a second more before finally nodding his head. "Now, since Kurosaki has agreed to take the role of 5th squad captain, how many of you agree to this arrangement?" Yamamoto soutaicho directed his attention to the rest of the taichos. Out of the captains, more than half of them raised their hands in agreement, of which were Hitsugaya taicho, Ukitake taicho and surprisingly, Byakuya taicho. "Very well, from now onwards, Kurosaki Ichigo shall be the taicho of the 5th squad immediately. The formal coronation ceremony shall commence next month but of now, he shall take position immediately." As the taichos filed out of the room, Ukitake taicho smiled and pat Ichigo on the back and congratulated him for his new position.

Kurosaki Karin on the other hand was falling from the sky and towards the city. She was slowed down momentarily when she broke through what seemed to be a barrier but then sped up again. Luckily, her fall was broken by a bush and her strong spirit pressure took the brunt of the impact, leaving her slightly bruised and grazed but with no serious injuries. She slowly got to her feet, wincing a little in pain. After a quick assessment of her injuries, she hitched her rucksack higher and looked around. She seemed to be some sort of garden. Just then, she heard the sounds of people's footsteps and quickly threw her bag over the tall wall before climbing over.

The whole area seemed to be a maze as the streets crisscrossed with each other. The buildings were traditional Japanese style with tiled roofs. An alarm had sounded earlier as she broke the barrier and now she spied numerous people in shinigami uniforms and wielding katanas. They must be after her. Looking around quickly, she spied a large estate not too far in front with thick vegetation which would provide her with cover. She dodged into a dark corner as a group of shinigami ran past her amid the chatter of "Ryoka" and "Catch the intruder". Stealthily, she arrived at the estate.

Landing on the ground as she flipped the wall, Karin knelt down, observing the estate. The residence was a huge traditional Japanese styled house complete with fusuma doors and tatami flooring. There was a koi pond not far from the house which was flanked by sakura trees which had yet to bloom. The area seemed empty enough to Karin and thus she decided to stay hidden in the bushes while she tried to contact Ichigo. She picked up her phone and wondered if there was reception in the area. Surprisingly, a dial tone sounded and she prayed for Ichigo to answer the phone.

"Moshimoshi?" Someone answered the call. "Moshimoshi? Ichi-nii? Karin speaking…. Ano…where are you now Ichi-nii? I need some help here." "Whats wrong Karin? Did someone bully you?" "Iie nothing of that sort but I sorta followed you through that gate and now I'm lost in someone's garden and there seems to be people coming after me." And there was silence. It seemed that Ichigo was too shocked for words. "Gomen Ichi-nii… I just wanted to see where you were going…." She explained. After a long pause, Ichigo replied, "Karin, stay where you are. I'm coming to get you now. Could you describe the surroundings for me?" "Ehto… it looks like someone's residence. There's a Japanese styled house and a garden outside. The garden has a koi pond and sakura trees." There was silence on the line again. "Karin you baka…. Why did you go there of all places?" Ichigo sighed. "Try not to get killed before I arrive and stall for time." "Eh?" "Damn Byakuya…" Ichigo grumbled in the distance.

After she hung up the call, there was silence in the garden other than the occasional bird calls. Footsteps sounded from the house and Karin's head snapped up. A tall man with long black hair which was held up with some weird hair accessory appeared. He was wearing a black hakama with a white haori which had the number 6 on the back. A katana was strapped to his waist and he moved with grace. His aura was one of a leader, or a high ranking officer or even a noble. Suddenly, his eyes flicked to the bush which Karin was hidden behind. All Karin saw was the narrowing of his eyes and his hand which flicked toward his katana before she felt a cold piece of metal against her throat. Karin looked into the ice cold eyes of rokubantai taicho Kuchiki Byakuya.


	2. Soul Society

**Hello minna-san! Hajimemashita :) This is my first ever fanfiction so forgive me if it seems kinda amateurish :) Thanks for reading this and please continue to support this fanfic :D I shall try to do weekly updates if I can. **

**Btw, thanks to Narutofan3721 for being my first ever follower ^^ Arigatou gozimasu! It means a lot to me knowing I have a follower :)**

**Enjoy the next chapter ^^ Dozo!**

Falling Sakura

Chapter 2: Soul Society

A cool piece of metal pressed against her throat. Kurosaki Karin froze and slowly lifted her head to look into the ice cold eyes of rokubantai taicho Kuchiki Byakuya. Cold sweat broke on her forehead and her palms became sticky as she felt his reiatsu spike. "Who are you?" a cold voice with a commanding tone asked her. She realized why Ichigo had sighed and told her to not get killed. This man would not hesitate to kill her if she made a wrong move.

"Ano…tell me who you are first." Karin tried to stall for time by making the scary man (as she decided to call him) talk. "I am the one asking questions here. Who are you?" he asked again sternly, pressing the blade against her neck. "Why would I tell you who I am? For all I know you could be a terrorist or something. Anyway what is with this place? You can actually press a katana at someone's neck and the police doesn't come." The scary man stared for a while. "What are you talking about? Apparently you don't seem to be from around here. You must be the ryoka. Then I shall have to kill you."

"Chotto matte!" Karin cried trying to stop him. Ichi-nii when are you coming? "Don't you dare! I know karate. I-I'm going to call for help! Let me go or you'll be sorry!" Karin didn't know where her courage suddenly came from but she but on a brave face. "Wait I know some people here! Toshiro will come like last time! He'll kick your ass if you hurt me." Again the scary man stared at her with an expressionless face.

Byakuya somehow had a bad feeling about this female ryoka. The tone of her voice and the way she spoke reminded him of a certain orange-headed shinigami who only 30 minutes ago was assigned the role of the 5th squad taicho. As well as the way she addressed Hitsugaya taicho with his first name. "I'm asking you for the last time, who are you?" "I'm Karin—Kurosaki Karin. His greatest fear had been confirmed. More Kurosaki(s). As if one weren't enough.

Just then Byakuya felt Ichigo's reiatsu and the orange hair shinigami landed in the garden. "Let go of Karin!" Byakuya surveyed Ichigo with his cold eyes and asked him,"Kurosaki taicho, is this your sister? What is she doing here? As far as I know she seems to be still alive." Ichigo grumbled," She followed me through the gate when I crossed. Now let her go!" Byakuya sheathed his zampakuto. "I have to report this to soutaicho. That another Kurosaki has appeared. Hopefully she won't make a mess of Soul Society like when you first arrived." Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Byakuya then shunpo-ed away to make his report. "Keep an eye of her while I report to soutaicho."

Somehow, Karin felt curious about Byakuya. He didn't show any emotions throughout the whole process of interrogating her or when he talked to her brother. He seemed to be the kind of workaholic who buried himself in work and treated everything too seriously for his own good. There seemed to be some weird characters in this place. She was looking forward to meeting Toushiro as well and maybe challenge him to another game of football.

Finally free and reunited with her brother, Karin couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Karin what were you thinking when you followed me to Soul Society? You were almost killed by Byakuya!" Karin lowered her head. "Gomen Ichi-nii I just wanted to see where you were going. And anyway I didn't get killed by the scary man." "That's not the point! You put your life in danger! And wait did you just call Byakuya the scary man?" Ichigo then burst into laughter clutching his stomach. "AHAAHHAHAHAHAH! Anyhow, let's go to the 5th squad headquarters. Looks like you got some injuries."

At the 4th squad headquarters, Hanatarou assessed Karin before assuring Ichigo that she was only a little bruised with no serious injuries. While Karin was being healed, Unohana taicho was trying to convince Ichigo to stay for some tea so she could congratulate him for becoming taicho. However, Ichigo turned her down saying that he needed to sort out Karin but promised her to have tea when he was free. Ichigo led Karin to his office to wait for soutaicho's instructions.

"Ichi-nii, what is this place? Who is soutaicho?" Karin asked as she sat down on the couch. Ichigo's office was fairly sized. There was a book shelf full of books and a table cover in paperwork. A katana which looked like a kitchen knife rested in the corner of the room along with a family photo which hung on the wall.

"Karin, you need to go home." Ichigo put a cup of tea in front of Karin. "Why Ichi-nii? I want to stay with you!" "Oji-san and Yuzu need you there." "Yuzu can take care of Oji-san! And Ichi-nii this time I want to stay with you! I'm not leaving." Ichigo argued back to her. "Karin! You are still alive! You have school, friends. You can't just leave them!" As Karin was about to talk back, a hell butterfly fluttered in through the window, interrupting their heated argument. "Karin come with me, we need to go meet soutaicho and all the other taichos. They will decide what to do. We'll continue this later." Ichigo grabbed Karin and shunpo-ed away.

Arriving at the main headquarters, Ichigo put Karin down and reminded her to mind her tongue. From behind the huge doors, Karin could feel the massive reistsu of the people within, deciding to heed Ichigo's advice and try not to anger them. Breathing in a deep breath, Ichigo pushed the double doors open.

**Ah~ I know this isn't a very interesting chapter but I promise there'll be more action and laughs in the next one :) So until then ja ne~**


	3. Tour

**Hello minna-san :) Sorry for the long stop…it was exam periods recently and for the past few weeks I've gotten a horrible writers block :( The chapter may seem a little slow but I'm trying to build up the storyline so pls bear with me… Oh yea, how do you think of my story so far? Leave a review! :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does.**

Falling Sakura

Chapter 3: Tour

The double doors slowly creaked open, and Karin faced the full force of reiatsu. She clenched her fists and tried to withstand the pressuring force which was threatening to cause her legs to turn into jelly. A wizened old man with a long beard stood at a raised platform. 10 people in black hakama and white haori turned around surveying her. She recognized Byakuya the scary man earlier and to her delight, Toshiro was there too. She wanted to call out to him but sensing the atmosphere she decided to save their reunion for later.

"Welcome, Kurosaki Karin." The old man whom she assumed was soutaicho said as he hammered the end of his walking stick onto the floor. A few of the captains muttered and whispered among themselves. "Great, more Kurosaki(s). I wonder if this one's like the orange head." A weird looking taicho who had a black robotic looking face and scary fingernails muttered. Another taicho who had long white hair smiled at her. Toshiro on the other hand looked slightly annoyed. Karin could guess by his stern gaze that he was warning her not to call him Toshiro in front of his colleagues.

"Soutaicho, forgive me for being careless. She followed me through the gate." Ichigo bowed his head. "If you insist I shall bring her back to the real world." "Iie! Ichi-nii, I want to stay with you! I promise, I won't make any trouble." Karin protested. Seeing Karin protest, the white hair man spoke up "It seems we have another person with strong reiatsu join our ranks. She has talent like Ichigo to be a shinigami as far as I see now. However, she has yet to discover her zanpakuto spirit. It also seems that she is still alive. But I personally feel that she has the capability to be a shinigami. Perhaps we could let her stay for a little while since the senkaimon is yet to be ready for her to pass safely."

The white haired taicho's comment seemed to stir some interest in some taichos. Whereas some taichos seemed to be against Karin staying but after all she was not able to return for now. "Personally, I find her talented and I agree with Ukitake taicho. Having another Kurosaki may help us boost the strength of the 13 gotei if she becomes a shinigami." Toshiro finally spoke up for the first time. "But Karin, you have school! And she's still alive!" Ichigo protested. Finally, soutaicho hammered his walking stick, silencing all chatter. "We shall have a vote. Those who agree to letting Kurosaki Karin say, raise your hands."

Holding her breath, Karin prayed that she would be able to stay. Ichigo's lips pressed into a thin line and his fists were clenched at his side. One by one, the captains made their vote. "Hmm, it seems that the majority has agreed. Kurosaki Karin, I hereby allow you to stay in Soul Society until the senkaimon opens or till you discover your zanpakuto spirit. Kuchiki taicho, I hereby give you the job of keeping an eye on Kurosaki Karin. Make sure she knows the rules of Soul Society." Ichigo looked displeased. "Soutaicho, please reconsider this!" Soutaicho stared at Ichigo "Kuchiki taicho is capable of looking after Kurosaki Karin. Kurosaki taicho, if she does mischief, you shall be responsible since she is your younger sister." Ichigo glared for a while before resigning himself to soutaicho's orders. "Meeting dismissed."

After everyone started leaving the room, Karin finally spoke. "Whoa that was intense. But anyway Ichi-nii, I can stay! Yay!" "Karin, what did you think when you said you wanted to stay? What's going to happen at home? What about your life?" Karin interrupted Ichigo "Ichi-nii, you've come here as well so I guess your grades don't matter anymore. Besides, your still alive too aren't you?" Ichigo could not think of anything to rebut Karin and thus, changed the topic. "Anyway since Byakuya is in charge of you now I guess you'll be spending your time at the 6th squad headquarters. Don't worry cuz the 6th squad fukutaicho Renji will look out for you. And if anyone bullies you, you can come to my office. It's just next door." "Arigatou Ichi-nii."

Byakuya appeared out of nowhere. "Kurosaki Karin, follow me to the 6th squad headquarters. I will explain the rules of Soul Society once. Try not to get into the way of my work." Ichigo scowled at Byakuya and Karin tried to restrain him. "Don't worry Ichi-nii, I'll be fine. Go continue your work. It must be busy being taicho. Byakuya felt like rolling his eyes. Wasn't he a taicho too? Wasn't he busy enough himself? And soutaicho had to throw him such an annoying and time-consuming task. Byakuya turned on his heels and left Karin to follow him, annoyed that he could not shunpo to the headquarters.

Finally, they arrived at the 6th squad headquarters. As Byakuya stepped into the entrance, 6th squad fukutaicho Abarai Renji appeared. "Welcome back taicho." Byakuya merely nodded. "Renji, I assign you the role of taking care of her. Make sure she doesn't disturb my work. "Hai, Kuchiki taicho." Without a word more, Byakuya disappeared into the headquarters. Renji turned back and looked at the person he was assigned to take care of for the first time.

"Aren't you Ichigo's sister?" Renji asked shocked. "Yea I am. I saw you before in Ichi-nii's bedroom and around town. I'm Kurosaki Karin." Karin extended her arm. "Rokubantai fukutaicho, Abarai Renji." Renji shook her hand. "Why isn't Kurosaki in charge of you?" "I guess soutaicho didn't trust him. Seeing that he is my brother." Renji then invited Karin into the headquarters and explained Soul Society's rules. He told her about the 13 gotei and the job of a shinigami. Karin nodded as she listened on. After that was a quick tour of Seireitei.

When they arrived at the 10th squad headquarters, Karin burst in through the office door and greeted Toshiro with a big grin and shouted his first name, recieving a sharp correction of "It's Hitsugaya taicho" from him. Matsumoto who was getting bored of sorting out paper work warmly welcomed Karin and pulled her into a hug. Not before long, they were chatting animatedly and they pile of paperwork was forgotten. Toshiro and Renji were left alone, wondering why women were such annoying creatures. When it was time to move on, Matsumoto was reluctant to let Karin go and only did when Toshiro agreed to let her visit Karin during their free time.

Karin met Rukia at the 13th squad headquarters and Rukia was pleasantly surprised. She showed Karin her entire Chappy the rabbit collection which ranged from bed sheets to cutlery. Karin could imagine Ichigo having nightmares about this Chappy paradise. Rukia volunteered to allow Karin to sleep in the 13th squad barracks and promised to ask her brother and Ukitake taicho about it. "Wait your brother?!" Karin asked surprised. "Nii-sama is the rokubantai taicho." "EH?" Karin was shocked. Their personalities seemed too different. "I was adopted into the Kuchiki household." The shorter woman explained. "Nii-sama kindly adopted me into the Kuchiki clan. I will be forever in his dept." Karin could not imagine how Rukia behaved so different then how she usually fooled around with Ichigo.

After the brief tour of Seireitei, Karin returned to the 6th squad headquarters with Renji. "Renji-kun, where will I be staying?" Karin asked Renji. "I'm not sure myself. I guess you'll have to ask Kuchiki taicho about that." Right on time, Byakuya stepped out of his office. "Renji, go ask around the other squads if they would be kind enough to allow Kurosaki to stay for some time." Byakuya coldly ordered Renji. "Hai, Kuchiki taicho." Renji replied before leaving. There was an awkward silence as soon as he left and it was then that Karin realized she was alone in the same room as the scary rokubantai taicho.

**Until next time! Hopefully that will be soon... Review pls and maybe I'll update faster haha :)**


	4. Life in Soul Society

**Hello I'm back with a new update :) *Woots* Thanks for all those favorites and follows. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Tite Kubo does.**

Falling Sakura

Chapter 4: Life in Soul Society

Karin fidgeted uncomfortably. She was standing in silence in the 6th squad office while the rokubantai taicho was sitting at his desk going through a stack of paperwork. "Karin, what are you doing? It isn't like you to be intimidated by scary guys like this…" she muttered to herself.

"Yo, I'm Kurosaki Karin. Pleased to meet you." She attempted to introduce herself and held out her arm to shake his. Byakuya merely replied dryly, "Kuchiki Byakuya, rokubantai taicho" without even lifting his head from his paperwork. This was when her temper, which she took after from Ichigo, flared. "Perhaps it's basic courtesy to at least look at a person when talking to them." She burst out. Just as those words left her lips, she instantly regretted it as she was eye to eye with the cold eyes of the rokubantai taicho. Byakuya's eyes were cold and devoid of emotion which made his glare seem more chilling.

However, instead of backing down, Karin glared back at him, her gaze piercing him. They glared at each other for a while before Renji returned from his enquiry. The moment he entered, he could feel the tension between his captain and the black haired girl who was Ichigo's sister. "Er… taicho, I have just returned from the other squad barracks…" Renji said carefully.

Byakuya redirected his cold gaze to Renji. "Ukitake taicho and Ichi-, no, Kurosaki taicho seem to be the only two captains who had space in their barracks and seemed willing to take her in." "Ichi-nii is willing to take me in?" Karin asked excitedly, wondering if she would be able to find out what her brother had been doing behind their backs for the past few years. However, her joy was short-lived.

"I have received orders from soutaicho that he does not want the Kurosaki siblings to be in too close proximity…" "Hai, taicho. I shall make the necessary arrangements with Ukitake taicho." With that, Renji shunpo-ed away.

"Why can't I stay in Ichi-nii's barracks?" Karin asked, dissatisfied. "One Kurosaki is enough trouble." "But—" "Kurosaki Karin, now that you are under my supervision, I must make one thing clear: Do NOT interfere with my work or cause me any distractions, do I make myself clear?" "What do you take me for? I'm already 18, I wouldn't even DREAM of distracting you from your work." Karin had enough of Byakuya's superior complex and realized why Ichigo felt that way too.

On her way out, she promised herself to make Byakuya's life misery while she was around just for the fun of it as she was fed up with his snobbish attitude. Meanwhile, Byakuya felt a sudden chill and wondered if winter came earlier that year. And that was the start of their special relationship.

Ukitake taicho appeared to be and kind and easy going taicho. However, he had a sickly body and was confined to bed. At least she wouldn't need to endure Ichigo's obnoxiousness and Rukia was there to keep her company. Ichigo had almost marched off to confront Byakuya about Karin's living arrangements if not for Rukia who stopped him. Rukia was the only one who could control her brother.

She shared a room with Rukia. It was a decent room with 2 beds and a small cupboard which could be used to store their personal belongings. Karin could see that Rukia loved Chappy, like Yuzu, as there were traces of the rabbit among her belongings. There were Chappy pajamas, slippers and even posters in Rukia's cupboard. Rukia offered Karin 2 of her kimonos as Karin had not brought any clothes which allowed her to blend in with the people in Soul Society. "Rukia, how could I accept them? Aren't they your best kimono?" "Ah, just take them Karin. Anyways I always wear my shinigami uniform so it's fine if you use them." The petite woman pushed the kimonos back into Karin's arms. "Unless you want to stand out in your T-shirt and jeans" In the end, Karin accepted them reluctantly.

Each day, Karin was required to report to Byakuya's office at 6am every day and spent most of her mornings helping Renji sort out the copious amounts of paperwork which was required to be done each day. She also ran errands for the 6th squad. For revenge against Byakuya for making her wake so early in the morning to report to him, she would always pelt him with question which she knew he hated a lot as soutaicho had given her permission to ask Byakuya about anything she wanted to know. Thus, it became a daily ritual for Karin to enter the office with a cup of tea, which she was asked to bring in by Renji, and a whole load of random questions which she pelted Byakuya with. He was

In the afternoons, she would train on her swordsmanship with Rukia after her daily patrol of Rukongai and in the nights, she would try to help out in the 13th squad kitchens in the evenings. This left her with little free time to catch up with Toshiro, Matsumoto and Ichigo. Instead, she had to report to Byakuya every day. It was very dry constantly talking to him as he rarely showed any expression.

However, every night since she arrived in Soul Society, she would have weird dreams. A voice would call out to her but no matter how hard she tried to recall what happened the next morning, she could not remember what the mysterious voice said to her or how it sounded like. She would be forced to wake up in the middle of the night with a splitting headache, as if a part of her soul had been ripped from her.

"Karin, you don't look too well." Rukia stated after knocking Karin down for the 4th time during their sparring practice. Karin had dark eye circles and her skin was paler than usual. "I'm fine. One more time." Karin smiled weakly. "You have been really busy for the past 3 weeks. When was the last time you had a break? Seriously Karin, you should ask for a break if you feel too tired. I'll talk to Nii-sama about this later." "It's really okay Rukia." Karin protested. However, Rukia was not convinced and in the end, Byakuya had agreed to letting Karin have a day off every week.

"But Rukia, even if I have a free day, I really have nothing to do in Soul Society! Ichi-nii is on a mission somewhere in Hueco Mundo and Toshiro is too busy to play soccer with me." After thinking for a while, Rukia suggested, "Why don't you accompany me on my daily patrol in Rukongai tomorrow? I'll show you the best food in the area." Karin cheered up immediately. "Can I really? Will I be in the way of your work?" "I'll be there to supervise and anyway the rest of the patrol squad are strong enough to defend themselves." Karin cheered for joy, almost smacking the next shinigami in line with her rice scoop. With that, her visit to Rukongai was settled.

**I'm sorry to say that this chapter is shorter than the rest /: Anyway pls review cuz I wanna know how you guys think the story is and how I shld develop it in the future. Suggestions are welcomed :D Until next time ~**


	5. Rukongai

**Hello :) I'm back again! Thanks to jh831 for informing me abt the squad 4 and 5 problem. Ichigo is taicho of squad 5 which was Aizen's old squad. Sorry for the confusion! Anyway here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

Falling Sakura

Chapter 5: Rukongai

Karin woke up the following day, refreshed. For some reason, she had no nightmares that night though she did remember that she somehow felt a sense of satisfaction deep inside her. Perhaps going for an outing was a good idea after all. She changed into one of the kimono she borrowed from Rukia (though the petite shinigami had insisted that it was hers) and made her way to the 6th squad headquarters. Arriving at Byakuya's office, she flung his door open without knocking, as usual, and put a cup of tea on his desk. Such was the morning ritual. She would fling open is door without knocking and cool his annoyance down with a cup of tea which she would put on his table. "Morning, Byakuya!" like her brother, she did not use the proper honorifics to address him and even though he know she would not stop calling him by his first name, he would correct her with a cool "It's Kuchiki taicho."

Apparently, she was in a good mood that day and did not pester him with too many random questions but delivered her report and asked to leave for Rukongai with Rukia. As she left the office, he looked down at the cup of tea and sipped it as he did every day after she left.

"Ah Karin there you are." Rukia greeted Karin. They were at one of the massive gates which led outside Seireitei. The other shinigami were checking their weapons and making last minute arrangements. "Rukia, I feel out of place… I can't help you out. I'm a burden to you. If there's danger I won't be able to defend myself much with just karate." Karin said as she saw the busy patrol squad. "Daijoubu, Karin. It'll be fine." Rukia said encouragingly as she squeezed the taller girl's hand.

Outside the gates of Seireitei, it seemed like Rukongai was having a festival. There were colorful banners and many stalls were set up. The streets were crowded and there were many people on the streets. Children ran around looking at the sights and sounds, laughing merrily. "Kyaaa…. This festival looks so fun!" Karin sighed. "It's been so long since I last went for a festival." Rukia smiled and reminded her, "We'll come again later but for now, we're on patrol. Trouble always seems to stir when there's a crowd."

Karin looked around at the crowd, drinking in the sights and sounds of the festival. Rukia stopped at a stall and bought her some dango which she took gratefully. Just as she was eating happily, something caught her attention in one of the dark alleys. No one seemed to notice but she saw the shadows which were projected on the wall and immediately put her dango down. "Rukia, someone's being attacked!" she shouted behind her back as she ran forward immediately. Rukia who was a distance away shouted for her to stop before chasing after Karin when she saw that it was no use to call her to stop. However, the crowd stopped her from catching up to Karin and swept them apart.

Meanwhile, Karin ran into the alley and turned the corner to see a man who was holding on to a girl's wrist. The girl who was in a patterned kimono was struggling and tried to scream but was silenced by the man's hand which was clamped over her mouth.

Karin put her skills to use and kicked the man before rescuing the girl from his grasp. The girl was crying and clung on Karin. "Are you alright?" Karin asked the girl. "I-I… I'm f-fine." The tear-stained girl cried.

Just as Karin was about the turn around and take the girl with her, the man whom she kicked got up from the floor. There was something very wrong as there seemed to be evil reiatsu leaking from him. Karin shuddered and pushed the girl behind her back as the man looked up to face her. His eyes were red and there was evil smile on his face.

"Well, well what do we have here? Who is it that is daring enough to interrupt my meal?" "Don't come any closer!" Karin shouted as she backed away from the creepy man. He lunged at them and Karin dodged his grasp, pulling the girl she had just rescued along. He made a few attempts but to no avail.

"What a feisty girl you are. Looks like I can't go easy on you any longer." With that, the man's face distorted and a creature slipped out. Karin's face turned to one of shock. The enormous hollow bared its fangs at them.

"When I charge at that monster, you turn around and run for help." Karin told the girl who was shaking in fear behind her. "B-but… What about you?" "I'll buy you some time so go!" Then both girls turned in different directions and ran off.

Meanwhile, Rukia was fighting to make her way through the crowd. "Karin why are you so reckless like Ichigo?" Rukia ground her teeth. Just then, a swarm of hollow suddenly descended on the crowd. There was instant chaos as panicked people tried to run to safety. Rukia was forced to halt her chase after Karin to take care of the hollow nearest to her. Of all times and they had to attack now.

Looking around, Karin looked for something which she could use to defend herself. Seeing a metal pole on the ground, she picked it up and took on a defensive stance. "Do you really plan to use that piece of metal to defend yourself?" the hollow mocked her. "We'll see!" And before she had time to think about the fact that she only had a rusted metal pole to defend herself, she charged the hollow.

The hollow was truly an ugly creature and Karin could feel her heart pounding faster and faster as she got closer. It swiped it long claws down at her but she dodged it. Then she used the pole to hit its hard body. She knew that she would not deal any damage to her but did it to buy some time for help to arrive.

After a while, the hollow was getting annoyed at her and was firing ceros everywhere. Rukia could see the rays of cero and Karin's fluctuating reiatsu but could not go to her rescue as she was busy dealing with an extremely pesky hollow which was effectively dodging her every swipe. Rukia prayed for her safety and hoped that Karin would be able to hold out till help arrived.

In a matter of time, the hollow had Karin defenseless with her makeshift weapon on the floor 10 metres away. It grasped her in its hand and mocked her, "Since you let my meal escape, I'll eat you instead!" It laughed and squeezed her in its claw. She screamed in pain as its grasp on her tightened. Tears were in eyes and she bid her farewells to the world. How would Ichigo do if she was no longer around? Would Yuzu and her father carry on with their lives? She felt helpless. Why was she such a burden to the rest? If only she had the power to protect them.

Just then, she recognized the voice who spoke to her in her nightmares. "Do you want to be stronger? Do you want to have the power to protect the people you love?" Through her pain, she replied to the voice within her, "Y-yes… I want to be stronger! I want to protect Ichi-nii, Yuzu and everyone else!" The voice hummed with satisfaction and whispered. "You chose right. Trust me."

Rukia had just defeated the hollow with Sode no Shirayuki and was running to Karin. The hollow was strangling her to death and it seemed that Rukia was not going to arrive in time. "No! Karin!" Rukia shouted as she ran, her eyes wide in fear.

Karin felt something deep inside her stir, as if something in her had been awakened for the first time. She felt that part of her finally surface and instinctually, she grasped onto something with her right hand and swung it down onto the hollow.

Rukia's mouth formed a perfect 'O' as she saw Karin swing down a katana onto the hollow which had the same surprised expression on her face.

**Yay! I've finally finished this chapter! See you soon! Remember to review kays?**


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